Method of making shoes



C. E. CONNER. METHOD 0F MAKING SHOEIS. 'APPLICATION HLED oma. 1919*',

APatented J une' 28, 19.21.

UNITED STATE-s PATENT oFF1cE.-

CHARLES E. CONNER, OF AUBURN, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEV JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD or MAKING sHoEs.

Specication of Letters Patent. Patented J une 28, 1921.

Original application ile. September 10, 1918, Serial No. 253,411. Divided and this application led December 8, 1919.

To all whom t may concern Be it Vknown that I, CHARLES E. CoNNnR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Auburn, inthe county of Androscoggin and State of Maine, have invented certain Improvements in Methodsof Making Shoes, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on thev drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

The present invention relates to improvements in methods of assembling shoe parts and more especially to improved methods of making shoes of the type known as turn shoes. For purposes of illustration the invention is herein set forth withparticular reference to its utility in incorporating counters, such as previously molded counters, in turn shoes made in accordance with the method disclosed in United StatesPatent to vupright or final position relatively to the sole with particular reference to the interior dimensions of the shoe after the shoe is.

turned to obtain a shoev of the desired predetermined size and to insure the second last fitting the shoe snugly. Moreover, it is essential that the counter should be permanently and strongly attached in the position it is finally to occupy in the finished shoe in spite of any handling which would be liable to displace the counter. A further'diificulty arises from the heel seat nailingoperation which has heretofore been performed after theshoe isturned since the heel seat nails l unless carefully inserted are liable to interfere with subsequent heel attaching and finishing operations on the shoe and also the heel seat nailing operation necessitates an 'additional handling of the shoe.

The invention has for an object to provide an improved method of assembling molded counters and turn shoe parts to the end that the counters may be incorporated in the shoe' Serial No.r 343,365.

tween the said shoe andthe said counter to assemble the counter upon the sole in the position it is to occupy relatively to the sole when the shoe is turned inside out and thereafter finally attaching the counter to the shoe in said position.

In another of yits aspects the invention contemplates securing the counter in its finally assembled position in the shoev prior to turning the shoe right side out by the insertion of a plurality of fastenings solocated as to attach the inturned flange of the counter to an underlying portion of the sole.

A machine which may be'used for carrying out the method of the present invention constitutes the subject-matter of my copending application Serial No. 253,411, filed September 10, 1918, of which this applica,- tion is a division. f

Other objects and features of the invention will appear from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred procedure of the method and the invention will then be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,-

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a fastening inserting machine by the use of which the method may be practised, parts of the construction being shown in section and other parts being broken away for clearness ofV illustration;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation and partly in sectionA illustrating the relative location of the shoe and thel operating elements of the machine prior to the insertion of the fastenings to attach the counter to the shoe;

after being operated upon by this machine.

ysuperimposed jack carriage 16. The latter The drawings illustrate a 'preferred form of counter attaching machine which may conveniently be used in the practice of the methodof the invention. lThis machine, as illustrated, comprises a frame provided with a stationary cross bar 4 in which are formed a plurality of driver passages 6 through which reciprocate the drivers 8 carried by the cross headlO. rl`he cross head is se- 'cured' to the upper ends of side rods 12 which reciprocate in vertical journals formed in the frame 2, The reciprocation of the cross head 10 may be effected in any suitable manner, for example, through aV lower cross head connected with an eccentric on the driving shaft of the machine as shown in the patent to Pope No. 446,885, granted Feb'.` 24, 1891. In the lower part of the frame vertical guideways are provided for a jack carriage support and a is provided with horizontal ways 17 for the the toe of the shoe.

.jack 18 which carries the shoe to be operated'upon, the jack comprising a vertically adjustable heel post 19 carrying a last pin` of the stationaryv cross lbar 4 by means ofl the bolt 24 and dowel. pins 26 is a block 28 which serves to support a shoe counter 30 vfor attachment in upright position on Vthe heel seat of the shoe 32., rlhis block 28 is shaped Yto enter the smallest size of counter to be used so that it will not be found necessary to substitute various sizes of counter supporting blocks when opei'atiiigupon different sizes of shoes and it has its bottom .surfaceslightly coiicaved to correspond to the convexed heel seat surface ofthe shoe,

thus insuring a proper' seating and clamping of the ijnturned flange of the counter j on the heel seat.

Driver guiding passages 6 are also formed in this counter block "in continuation of the driver' passages 6 in the cross bar 4. On opposite sides of the counter block 28 and nearV its forward edges @are a pair of spring clips 36 extending downwardly and rearwardly to a point near the lower edge -of the block for retaining the counters on `the block. These clips,

which are conveniently narrow stripsV of spring steel, depend from ears 38 carriedv by a left and right threaded screw 40 exs ,i tending transversely through the block and wrong size is produced.

they have their outer ends curved slightly inwardly so as vto grip the counter and cause it better to hug the counter block. The screw 4() which'has thumb holdsV at either Vend provides for simultaneous lateral adjustment of the clips 36 to accommodate different sizes of counters on the block, a set screw 44 being provided to lock tli'e'screw in any of its adjusted positions. Extending'down- Awardly fromthe under side of the cross bar 4 to which it is secured by theV screw 48 and against the rear surface of the block 28 is another spring clip V50T which cooperates with the clips 36correctly to yposition the counter on the counter supporting block and hold. it against displacement. VThe driver guiding passages 6 in the cross bar 4 and in -the counter block 28 are located as near as practical vto the outer wall of the block' 28 in a U-shaped design to insure the nails being driven through the inturned flange of the counter and adjacent to its innerwall. Also, the drivers 8 `and driver passages 6 are so arranged that they do not insert fasteningsforwardly `of substantially the heel breast line of the shoe to be operated upon; otherwise, in turn shoes, the clenched ends of the nails would appear on the finished surface of the sole. Y.

The shoe and the counter are accurately positioned relatively toeachother by means4 of a shoe engaging gage 52and af'counter engaging gage 54 both of which are mounted for vertical adjustment` and for-a limited yielding movement so that they willaccompany the shoe in'its slight ydownward dis-` placement whenV subject vto pressure. For

this purposea rod 56, the upper.v end ofk which carriesthe gages-52, 54, is slidin'glyV mounted'at` itsrk lower 'end in a bracket 58 and is normally maintained in an elevated .A

position by a compression spring 60 which cncrclesthe end ofthe rod as shown in Fig. V

, 1. Near its. upper end the rodY 56 slides in an `angle piece 62 having a threaded shank v63 which extends through the forks of a bracket 64 on the machine frame. adjusting nut 65 on the shank 63 servesl to determine the adjusted positionof the shoe or solo gage and, therefore, the position of the shoe longitudinally of the 'counterf This Y is ot considerableimportance the use of the machine Land in the performance of the steps attendant upon the attachment of thecounter to the shoe, since the location of the shoe relatively tothe counter when a attached predetermines the interior dimensions orfinal sizeof the shoe, and unless accuracy in relatively locating theshoe and counter is insured subsequent operations on the shoe are impaired and a shoe ofthe The counter gage 54 is located immediatelyabove the sole gage 52V and is mounted for adjustmentrelatively to the ,Selelgage and iinv the direction counter-engaging surface of the gage 54 isv inclined backwardly as shown in'Fig. 2 so f as to force the vertical inner wall of the counter, particularly at its junction with the Vinturned flange portion, against the lower' edge of the counter supporting block.

ln the use of the invention with the mal chine herein illustrated, the shoe upper is first attached to the sole while inside out as described in the above mentioned patent to Thissell. The jack 18 is neXt pulled outwardly in the ways 17 of the jack carriage and the shoe 32 on the last is placed on the heel post 19 with its toe resting on the toe post 21, the jack being then adjusted for height and for the length of the shoe in question. .The jack and the shoe are then pushed rearwardly into the machine until the rear end of the vsole of the shoe engages the sole gage 52 which is then adjusted by means of the adjusting screw to locate the heel seat of the shoe in predetermined longitudinal relation to the counter 30.

ln the next step of the process the previously molded counter of the proper size and shape to fit the shoe which is being made is placed over the counter supporting block 28, the side walls of the counter being sprung under the side clips 36 which, by reason of their inwardly curved lower ends engage the counter near its lower edge and hold it in position on the block. When counters are being used which are not held in some way in final position against spreading; for example, a half molded counter, the side clips also serve to maintain the counter in the desired shape on Vthe block, the spread of the counter being predetermined by the lateral adjustment of the clips through the adjusting nuts 42. The rear upper edge of the counter is also definitely located on the block by the clip 50 and to insure the firm seating of the counter with its inturned flange overlaying the bottom of the block and its inner wall in contact with the wall of the block, the inclined surface of the counter gage 54 is forced against the lower edge of the counter as shown in Fig. 2. Thus the counter is firmly supported in predetermined position relatively to the shoe and the inturned flange of the counter is in position on the bottom of the block to receive the nails inserted through the driver passages 6. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that with the Thissell practice of incorporating molded counters in turn shoes the accurate location of the counter upon the heel seat of the sole is of especial importance since it determines the interior -dimensions of the shoe after it is turned right side out and therefore the final size of the shoe. By providing mechanical means for supporting the counter of the shoe in a predetermined position and for supporting the shoe in assembled relation to the counter, including provision for effecting a fine adjustment of the shoe in the' direction of its length, as in the illustrated machinethe two shoe parts may be permanently associated with absolute accuracy'and uniformity'.

After the shoe and the counter have been properly positioned the machine is started and the jack 18 is elevated in direct vertical alinementV with the counter supporting block 28 whereupon the counter is seated upon the heel seat of the shoe with increased and positive pressure. During this relative move-A ment of the shoe and the counter the gages 50 and 52 are carried with them, thus preventing their displacement and then as the shoe and counter settle under the pressure, the gages yield. While the shoe is thus held under pressure the attaching nails which are preferably headed are deposited `by the loader in the driver passages 6 and driven by the drivers 8. As previously explained the driver passages are located near the outer wall of the counter supporting block and consequently they pass through the inturned liange of the counter and the margin of the sole of the shoe being clenched upon the usual iron bottom provided on the last. The jack is then lowered, which removes the counter from its support, and pulled for# ward so that the shoe may be removed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim las new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The method of manufacturing turned shoes, which comprises rigidly supporting a molded counter, pressing against the bottom of the counter thus supported, a sole toL which an upper has been attached, fastening the counter to the sole and thereafter completingr the manufacture of the shoe.

2. The method of manufacturing a turned shoe, which comprises rigidly supporting a molded counter by engagement with the inside thereof, pressing against the bottom of the counter a sole to which an upper has been attached, fastening the counter to the sole. andr thereafter completing the manufacture of the shoe.

3. The method of manufacturing turned shoes, which'comprises rigidly supporting a molded counter, pressing against the bottom of the counter thus supported the upper face of the heel end of a sole to which an upper has been attached wrong side out, fastening the counter to the sole, turning the shoe right side out, and thereafter completingits manufacture.

4. The motion of manufacturing turned shoes, which comprises supporting a molded counter, clamping' against the flange of the counter a sole to which an upper has been attached Wrong side out, fastening the counter to the sole while the parts are held clamped, and thereafter turning the shoe right side out and Completing its manufac-l ture. i

5. yThe method of manufaeturing turned shoes, which comprises rigidly supporting a sole and its attached upper, rigidly supporting a molded counter, effecting relative LaS-e763 movement of the two parts thus supported to bring the counter into properrassembled 'relation' With respect to the sole and upper,

permanently fastening the counter to the sole and thereafter completing the manuture of the shoe. f Y

In testimony Whereof have signed my nameto thisspeeilieation.

CHARLES-E: CONNER. 

